Stand Strong
by musical89
Summary: Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter are trying to make their relationship work but Jacob Black is determined to win Draco back. Longer summary inside.
1. Cool and Composed

**Sequel to Lean on Me. Can be read independently but I suggest reading Lean on Me first, it will make more sense. Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter are trying to make their relationship work but Jacob Black is determined to win Draco back. Will Jacob succeed or will Draco stand strong?**

**Disclaimer:**

_**Draco: Musical does not own my universe OR the twilight universe ^_^**_

_**Severus: EVERYTHING belongs to Stephenie Meyer and J.K Rowling, except the storyline, of course.**_

Stand Strong Chapter 1 ~ Cool and Composed

Draco paced in his room and bit his nails. He was waiting for Harry to come back from picking up the car he had recently bought from some man in Clallam Bay. Edward had helped them look for a good car and had taken Harry up to get it. After Harry got back, they would go to meet Jacob. Draco was praying Jacob just listened to them and met them instead of showing up at Draco's house.

There was a knock on Draco's door and Draco's breathing hitched. It was either Harry, his new and beloved boyfriend, or Jacob, who Draco was terrified to face. "C-come in." Draco stuttered.

Draco let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding when his godfather, Severus, walked into his room. Severus smiled, "Nervous, are we?"

Draco automatically shook his head, "No, not at all."

Severus chuckled. He had lightened up substantially since he had started spending time around Carlisle and Esme Cullen. He had even taken the time to sit down with the boys and go through the rule book with them and had taken out about half of the thick manual, the parts he went over and realized weren't necessary. Harry and Draco approved of Severus spending time with the doctor and his wife; he was always in a good mood when he came back from an outing with them. The boys weren't sure what the adults did on their outings but they found that every time they saw the good doctor and his wife, they seemed to know new things about Harry and Draco.

"Your nails are torn up, Draco. You have been biting them which you usually say is a disgusting habit. Oh look at what you've done now, these three are bleeding." Severus tsked. He pulled Draco into the bathroom and turned the faucet on. He stuck Draco's left hand under the warm water and shook his head. "He will not be able to do anything to you, Draco. Harry and Edward will be with you the whole time, you don't need to worry."

Draco smiled slightly at the mention of his boyfriend and his older brother figure. "I know but that last time Jacob was over here… it scared me, Sev. He scared me and he still does." Draco said.

"I know, Draco. But you've got to relax and prepare yourself. Steel yourself for when you see him. He is going to be charming and sweet and caring and you will have to resist with all you're worth because if you get too close you will end up being sucked in. You've got to get the best of your nerves so you can be cool and composed when you see him and break things off." Severus said, sounding like the caring mother hen that Harry and Draco had grown accustomed to.

Draco nodded. Jacob had already attempted to be sweet and charming by bombarding Draco with flowers. He sent multiple bouquets a day and they were always the same three; two dozen tulips in either yellow or white tulips or two dozen marigolds. Harry had looked up the meaning of tulips and found they symbolized resurrection and determination. White tulips meant peace or forgiveness, yellow tulips stood for hopeless love, and marigolds symbolized jealously and grief. After Harry had seen the first bouquet, he and Edward began gathering them up then taking them up to La Push during the night then dumping them in a pile on Jacob's front lawn with a sign that read 'Shove off'.

Draco didn't approve of their method of getting rid of the flowers but they insisted it would make Jacob stop eventually. It had been four days and forty bouquets later and Jacob showed no sign of stopping. Draco had told Harry he would break things off with Jacob but the first few days when he thought about having to come face-to-face with Jacob, Draco's breathing sped up and he began to hyperventilate. Edward had sat down with Draco and they had decided the sooner Draco broke it off, the sooner Jacob would leave him alone. Edward had also volunteered to go with Harry and Draco, just in case.

"I will be composed, I have to be. It's the only way I'm going to accomplish my task, as you've told me. I got this, Sev." Draco said.

Severus laughed, "You are speaking more like the Americans with each passing day."

Draco smiled and shrugged, "I like their way of speaking. It's so casual and care-free."

"Just don't forget your roots, Draco." Severus said, smiling. He rummaged in the drawers beneath the sink for a minute and then stopped. He didn't usually use this bathroom; it was predominantly Draco and Harry's.

"Top far right drawer." Draco directed.

Severus listened to Draco and found the box of Band-aids he had been searching for. He opened the box and pulled Draco's hand out from under the water, drying it gently on a hand towel. He wrapped the three fingers that Draco had bitten down to the quick and caused to bleed. "There. Now no more biting your nails, Draco."

Draco nodded and walked back into his and Harry's room. Harry had all but moved into Draco's room. It wasn't official, but Draco liked to think of it as their room.

Draco turned on the radio and flopped down on his bed, sighing. It was on his favorite rap station, the music caused Draco to relax. For the first time that day, Draco felt the tension leave his body. His thoughts wandered to Jacob. Why had his behavior changed so drastically? What had happened to Draco being Jacob's imprint? Had the imprint faded or altered or disappeared altogether? Was Jacob lying to Draco about being his soul mate? If so, why? How could Jacob's behavior have turned so violent so quickly? Had it been Draco's fault?

Draco couldn't answer any of the questions. He didn't want to know the answers. Draco closed his eyes and felt himself falling asleep, except this time it felt different some how. Draco couldn't put his finger on it but this sleep felt deeper than he had ever slept before and it scared him for a moment until he just accepted it and let himself fall into the comforting darkness.

The music blaring from Draco's radio was the last thing he heard. The words of Eminem echoed as he slipped into darkness.

_Sing for the moment,_

_Sing for the year,_

_Sing for the laughter,_

_Sing for the tears,_

_Sing it with me just for today_

_Maybe tomorrow the good lord will take you away…_

**A/N: Some of you may recognize the lyrics from an Aerosmith song but I first heard the lyrics in Eminem's song Sing for the Moment so that is why I put him down as the artist. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, please R&R.**


	2. Meeting With Jacob

**A/N: Okay so it is a bit of a short chapter for me but next week's will be pretty long so it all evens out. Enjoy!**

Stand Strong Chapter 2 ~ Meeting With Jacob

Draco felt himself being shaken and he heard Harry calling his name. He opened his eyes but didn't see anything for a minute until everything suddenly came into focus.

Harry smiled and said, "Hey, sleepy head, decided to take a nap?"

Draco shrugged, "Yeah, I guess so."

"Well come on, it's time to go." Harry said, pulling Draco to his feet.

They walked down the stairs and out to the driveway. When Draco saw the car he smiled. He ran a hand over the hood of the sleek black sports car. Harry had gotten the one Draco had wanted.

"You told me to pick the one I wanted the most so I did. The one I wanted most was the one that would make you happy so we went a little bit farther to Neah Bay and picked this one up." Harry said, smiling.

"Thank you, Harry." Draco said, hugging him.

Harry kissed Draco's forehead and smiled, "You're welcome. Want to drive?" Harry said, dangling the keys in front of Draco's face.

Draco took the keys and nodded, "Sure." He said, smiling.

Draco pulled up to Jacob's house and turned the car off. His hands rested on the steering wheel as he took deep breaths. Beside him, Edward growled, startling Draco.

"I told him to meet us alone." Edward growled. He pulled out his phone and dialed quickly. "Emmett, bring Rosalie, Jasper, Esme, and Alice. We're out numbered, he brought the pack."

Draco tried to follow where Edward was looking but he was staring deep into the trees.

Edward hung up and shoved the phone in his pocket. He shook his head and clenched his fists. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted him! I knew it!"

"Edward, relax. What is going on?" Draco asked.

"He's here with the whole pack it looks like. I told him to meet us here by himself or with one other person but he brought everyone. If this turns bad, I'm scared I won't be able to protect you and Harry. They outnumber us." Edward said.

"What about Carlisle? You mentioned everyone else but Carlisle." Harry said.

"He's at the hospital. We're not supposed to call him at work unless it's an emergency, unless someone's hurt or dying." Edward said.

"So what do we do now? Do we just sit here and wait for the others to come or do we go out there and start talking?" Draco asked.

"Let's go out there. I don't think they'll attack right away." Edward said.

Draco nodded and he got out of the car. "Jacob?" Draco called.

Jacob walked out of the woods with Sam and five wolves walked behind them.

"What have you come for?" Sam asked. His voice was ice cold and he looked at Draco with hatred burning in his eyes.

"Jacob… I can't be with you any more. I can't be in a relationship with someone who hurts me. When you were at my house the other day you were… catatonic. I can't be around you; it's no good for me." Draco said. "I don't know what happened to you. You were so sweet to me at first, you said I was your imprint and then you turned around and you hurt me Jacob. I have bruises all up my back and on my side from when you threw me against the wall."

"Draco, please, don't leave me. I know I can be stupid sometimes but please just give me another chance. You are my imprint, you are!" Jacob said, reaching for Draco.

Draco stumbled back, out of Jacob's reach. "No! Don't you dare touch me!"

"Draco, please… please." Jacob said. Tears started rolling down his cheeks and he started trembling.

There was the sound of crunching gravel as Emmett, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, and Esme walked up. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett stood in front of Draco and Rosalie stood on his left and Alice stood on his right. Esme stood behind Harry, guarding him as well.

"You think you can stop us if we try to hurt him? We out number you, you stupid leeches." Sam said. His hands started to shake and he snapped, "Get them!"

The wolves lurched forward as one. They picked out a Cullen and began to fight. Jacob stood there with a look of horror on his face, shaking his head.

"No… No!" Jacob yelled.

The Cullens threw the wolves around, keeping them away from Draco easily. It was almost too easy for them and they realized that. After a few minutes of fighting, Jasper realized this was not meant to be an actual fight, merely a skirmish to scare them or distract them from something else.

"Call them off! Now!" Draco yelled at Sam.

Sam laughed a cruel laugh. "You think just because Jacob's in love with you that you can order me around? I don't think so. I am the alpha. I give the orders. I do not listen to anyone."

Sam lunged at Draco, phasing in the air and landing on Draco. Draco hit the ground with a thud. That thud silenced everything. The wolves stopped and the Cullens looked at each other, confused. It was as if time was frozen for a few seconds. Then they saw Sam on top of Draco and moved to rip him off of Draco but not before he bit into Draco's shoulder, tearing a large piece of flesh out.

Draco screamed and everything went black.


	3. Live for the Day

**A/N: Okay, so, after much trial and error, I've FINALLY gotten this chapter written AND I love the way it came out. I hope you all agree. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I, Musical89, do not own anything except my story line... *sigh***

Stand Strong Chapter 3 ~ Live for the Day

Draco heard people running around and voices talking rapidly. He was lying on a hard, cold surface and the room was freezing cold. He found it difficult to focus on just one voice but he did. The voice was talking almost too fast for him to understand.

"… yes… no… I'm afraid he won't unless we do this… it's up to you… yes, you and Severus… yes he would live… fine." Draco heard Carlisle saying.

A second later there was an explosion of pain in Draco's neck and he screamed. It felt as if he was being lit on fire, his neck burned and then the burning spread to the rest of his body as he lay there, writhing in pain and screaming out cuss words. It felt like he went on like this for days. Sometimes the pain stopped, Draco didn't know why, maybe he passed out. But he was only lucky enough for the pain to stop for short increments of time and then it started up all over again.

After what seemed like forever, the pain dulled considerably and Draco opened his eyes. Harry was hunched over in a chair, shaking his head and sobbing. Edward was patting his back and then stopped abruptly.

"Harry, look." Edward said quietly.

Harry looked up with tears in his eyes, "Is he conscious? Or is he about to go into another fit?" he asked Edward.

"No, he's finished." Edward said.

Draco couldn't comprehend what had happened. Everything was sharper, clearer. He saw every little detail on everything. When Harry and Edward spoke, Draco heard it differently, more perfectly. He heard the layers of sound in their voice if he focused and if he didn't he still heard layers, just less distinct. Draco heard people moving around downstairs and people talking clearly, as if they were in the same room.

As he became more aware of his surroundings, Draco jumped up and perched on the operation table he had been laying on and faced Harry and Edward. His posture and body language screamed defensive.

"Draco…" Harry said, standing and stepping toward him.

Draco leapt back off the table and onto the floor without any effort. A growl escaped from his mouth and he startled everyone, even himself.

"Harry, don't get any closer. He's very disoriented right now and he will attack you. You've got to get out of here, he's bloodthirsty and he could very well kill you. Move toward the door slowly, I'll move with you." Edward said calmly, standing and moving in front of Harry.

Draco's eyes zoomed in on Harry's throat. He could practically see the blood flowing through Harry's veins and for the first time he felt the burning in the back of his throat. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, savoring Harry's scent. Draco's eyes snapped open and he launched himself at Harry.

Harry cried out in fear and Edward roared, blocking Draco and throwing him across the room, into a wall.

"Run! Close the door!" Edward yelled. "Send Emmett up here!"

Harry did as he said and ran out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Draco heard him running down the stairs and he tuned him out.

Draco stood and shook the plaster out of his hair. "Oh my god." He said. When he heard his voice he gasped. It was beautiful. "I just attacked Harry…"

"It's okay. It's not your fault at all, Draco. It's going to take you a long time before you can be around Harry and not feel the need to drain him of every drop of blood in his body." Edward said with understanding.

"What's happened to me? Why is everything so different?" Draco asked. His voice shook.

"Draco, you died. When Sam Uley lunged at you and bit into your shoulder, he ripped out a very large chunk of your flesh. Right after it happened, I called Carlisle. The only way to save you was to change you." Edward said.

"Change… me?" Draco said slowly.

"Into a vampire." Carlisle said, entering the room with Emmett behind him. They closed the door.

Emmett crossed the room and handed Draco an opaque bag with a straw attached to it like some kind of twisted Capri Sun. "Drink this, it'll help."

"Take your nail and puncture the bag like this. You won't need the straw." Edward said. He opened the bag for Draco and held it up to his lips. Draco shook his head, refusing it. "Please, Draco. Drink."

Draco shook his head and pushed the bag away.

"Draco, please. This will help." Edward nearly begged. "Please. Until we can go out hunting, drink this. I'll take you out later and we'll go hunt down some different animals for you to try and we'll see which is your favorite. Doesn't that sound nice? But first you've got to drink this."

Draco shook his head, his lips sealed. Carlisle walked over slowly and took the bag from Edward. He put his hand on the back of Draco's neck gently and put the bag to his lips. He gently squeezed the bag and the blood wet Draco's lips. As soon as he tasted it, Draco sucked on the bag until it ran out. He made a face and wiped his mouth on the sleeve of the shirt he was wearing.

"That doesn't taste very good…" Draco said.

"Sorry Draco, it's not fresh which is what you want right now. Soon me and Eddie will take you out and we'll get you all the blood you can stand." Emmett said.

"Don't call me that." Edward said through gritted teeth.

Draco was hit with a wave of nausea and he doubled over, breathing deeply through his mouth.

"Draco? What's wrong?" Edward asked, forgetting about Emmett and focusing on Draco.

Suddenly the nausea was gone. Draco stood up, not sure what happened.

"Emmett… make Edward mad again." Draco said.

Emmett shrugged, "Sure. Did you know that before he found Bella, we all had a bet on when he would come out of the closet?"

Edward clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. The nausea rushed over Draco again, only worse this time. He shuddered and took slow breaths.

"Draco?" Edward asked, focusing on him, "What's going on?" His anger disappeared.

"When you're mad, I get this almost overwhelming wave of nausea." Draco said.

"Only when I'm mad?" Edward asked.

"I don't know. Make Emmett angry."

"Emmett once wore a tutu and pranced around the house with a plastic faerie wand, telling everyone to call him Princess Butterfly." Edward said.

"I thought we agreed to never speak of that!" Emmett exclaimed.

Draco's body began to lightly tingle. He shivered and shook his head. "You're not angry Emmett; tell me what emotion you feel right now."

"Um… kind of embarrassed actually." Emmett said quietly.

Draco nodded. "It felt different. I knew it wasn't anger…"

"Emmett, go get Jasper." Carlisle said. Emmett nodded and walked out of the room.

"Why Jasper?" Draco asked.

"I think you're an empath, just like Jasper." Carlisle said.

"What's an empath?" Draco asked.

"Well, being an empath, that means we can feel the emotions of others." Jasper said as he walked into the room. "It's a special ability like Edward's mind reading or Alice's visions."

Draco nodded slowly, thinking. "So I can control emotions of others like you can?"

"Try it out. Try to make Edward feel angry." Jasper said.

Draco nodded and focused on making Edward angry. Seconds later, he felt a wave of nausea crash against him worse than the other two he'd felt before and Edward's jaw clenched and his hands curled into fists.

Draco stopped and Edward relaxed.

"I hate it when my emotions get manipulated." Edward said, shaking his head.

"Sorry." Draco apologized.

"Don't worry about it. Just don't make a habit out of it." Edward said.

"So, Draco, we've got a lot to sort out." Carlisle said.

"Like what?" Draco asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Your living arrangements, for one. You can't go back to live with Harry and Severus, there's too much of a chance of you killing them." Edward said.

Draco thought for a minute and then nodded, "That makes sense."

"And it wouldn't be good for you to go to school either. That would be like throwing a wolf into a chicken coop." Jasper drawled.

Draco nodded again.

"So we'll all take turns staying home with you during the day while everyone else goes to school." Emmett said.

"When will I get to see Harry?" Draco asked.

"That wouldn't be such a good idea for a while, until you learn some control." Carlisle said.

Draco nodded once. "Alright then. So I'm basically confined to the house?"

"Not confined, Draco, don't think of it that way. We'll go out into the woods to hunt and to hang out; you just can't go into town." Edward said.

"And what about Harry? What if he… never mind." Draco said.

"If he loves you, he'll wait until you gain control." Edward said.

"Get out of my head." Draco growled.

"I'm sorry, I can't help it." Edward apologized.

"Is he still here?" Draco asked.

"No. Esme sent Harry and Severus home. It's… dangerous for them here." Carlisle said.

"There's no way for me to see him? To talk to him?" Draco asked.

"We'll think about it okay? I'll talk with Esme and Severus and we'll see." Carlisle said.

Draco nodded. "So for now, what do I do? What was the point of saving me? First my life as a wizard was taken away, then the life I adopted as a muggle. Now I have to adapt again to life as a vampire? What's the point? I don't have Harry, I can't be around him. I don't have Sev; I can't be around him either. What was the point? What do I have to live for if I don't have the two people I love the most?"

"Live for them still. You can see them one day when you learn control and restraint. Live for that day that you can be with them." Carlisle said.

"But… what if it takes years? What if they… die before I gain control?" Draco asked.

"We're still figuring things out, Draco. We don't know what we're going to do yet but we're going to figure it out." Edward said.

Draco nodded and said, "Well, for now I guess I'll just have to do what you said Carlisle, I'll have to live for the day I can be with them."


	4. Tough Love

**A/N: Sorry for the delayed chap. The characters weren't cooperating with me very well. But I finally managed to convince them to listen to me. So, here is chapter 4.**

_**Disclaimer: **_

_**Draco ~ Musical doesn't own anything but the storyline.**_

Stand Strong Chapter 4 ~ Tough Love

Draco wouldn't come out of his room. The Cullens had tried anything and everything but he remained in his room, closed off. He wouldn't even open his door for any of them, he told them he wasn't in the mood for company and then he didn't speak after that.

Esme had taken to leaving him a large Tupperware full of a mixture of mountain lion and grizzly bear blood by his door every three days, knocking and then walking away. She constantly tried to get into his room, she knocked twice every hour and sat outside on his balcony four times a day with a sign that read 'lonely. In need of vampire conversation. Specifically Draco's'. This made Draco smile, but he wouldn't let her see it.

Draco was miserable. He couldn't cry because he was a vampire, after all, but he sobbed near constantly. Draco had nothing to do in his room. Sometimes he would try to watch TV but something would remind him of Harry and send him into sobbing fits. Other times he would listen to music, which worked for a while but then a song would mention love or heartache and this would also cause him to start sobbing.

Poor Jasper couldn't stand to be in the house. The sadness radiated off Draco in waves and hit him so strongly; he started sobbing as well and couldn't stop until Alice took him out and away from the house.

Draco had been in his room for three months when Rosalie broke his door down, her fists were clenched and she had her face twisted in a snarl. Her eyes burned with what seemed to be anger.

Draco jumped; he had been lying on his bed staring at the ceiling, shirtless. He covered up his exposed chest and scrambled back as Rosalie stomped across the room.

Rosalie grabbed Draco by his shoulders and tossed him out his door. He hit the wall with a thud. "Get your ass out here and spend time with us! We're going to spend some family time together and have a nice day, damn it!"

Draco let himself slide to the floor, his mouth hanging open in shock.

Rosalie picked him up again and tossed him down the stairs. Everyone was sitting in the living room, laughing and joking. They all fell silent when Draco tumbled down the stairs.

"Rose!" Emmett said, shocked.

"Rosalie Cullen! Just _what_ do you think you're doing?" Esme said.

"Fixing him. Enough is enough; you can't keep wallowing in self-pity. Sometimes you just have to move on!" Rosalie said, glaring at Draco.

Draco got up and shook his head. "Rosalie, I can't. He's my life, part of me."

"Rose-" Emmett started.

"Shut up Emmett." Rosalie snapped. She turned to Draco and shook her head, "Come on." She said, grabbing his arm. She started to drag him out the door and into the woods, ignoring her family's questions. Rosalie took Draco so deep into the woods, he wasn't sure he could find his way back on his own.

Rosalie brought him to a secluded lake that was surrounded by a thick ring of trees. It was the kind of lake that you couldn't find if you didn't know it was there. She let him go and sat on a rock, facing away from Draco.

"Draco… you've got to snap out of this." Rosalie said quietly.

"I can't." Draco said, gazing out at the water.

"You have to! Jasper can't even be in the house at the same time as you! Alice isn't around anymore either because she's out with Jasper. Emmett is worried sick, he doesn't even joke anymore which worries all of us so we're worried about Emmett while we're worried about you, also. Carlisle has been working over time at the hospital because if he's here and you start crying, it hurts him, Draco. Since Carlisle isn't here, it affects Esme. We're all here for her, of course, but Carlisle is her best friend so he's the one she needs most but he's not here. She won't leave the house because she feels the need to watch over you. Edward just sits in his room, listening to your thoughts. I walked in on him once and he looked so vacant Draco… he didn't have any emotion in his eyes because he was so tuned into you. When he realized I was there, he looked at me with this deep, heart wrenching sorrow. Bella hasn't been over here at all, although I'm not complaining, but that also has an effect on everyone. I don't know why, but her presence lightens the others' moods." Rosalie said, not looking at Draco.

"You don't understand! You don't get it, Rose! Imagine if Emmett was taken away from you, how would you feel?" Draco exclaimed. "What would you do?"

"I'd kill to get him back…" Rosalie said quietly.

"Exactly!" Draco said. "Exactly…" he said, beginning to sob gently.

"You need to keep going, Draco. You can't shut yourself in your room; you'll never learn tolerance that way but if your out and you're progressing well, we can take you closer and closer to town as we help you learn control." Rosalie said.

"But Rose he… he hasn't…" Draco trailed off.

"Called?"

Draco nodded silently.

"That's because he wants to give you space and time to learn control. He talked with Carlisle about it. He says to call once you've gotten yourself situated, settled." Rosalie said.

"Really? That's why? He hasn't… lost interest?" Draco asked quietly.

"No. He calls Edward's phone every day, wanting an update. I answer it, because Edward's a wreck, and I tell him you're okay. Not great, but okay. I don't want to worry him." Rosalie said.

"Thanks." Draco said.

"He misses you too, Draco, but he's still going. He still goes about his days, even with you absent. Harry's not the same, but he's not shut up in his room all day either." Rosalie said.

"But there's nothing to do here, Rose. I have nothing else to do." Draco said.

"That's a lie. You can do whatever, Draco. You can play video games with Emmett and Jasper, you can learn the piano from Edward, you can play any board game with any of us, you can learn interior decorating from Esme; she'd be ecstatic to teach you. She tried teaching us but none of us were interested. Alice can take you shopping on line, she's got all her favorite stores bookmarked and she could look up your favorites too. You and I could go out behind the house and play soccer or set up a net and play tennis, or volleyball. There's a ton to do, Draco, if only you'll open your eyes and look." Rosalie said.

Draco remained silent. Then, without warning, he grabbed Rosalie and tossed her in the lake. Rosalie stood up, soaking wet and shocked. Draco laughed at her expression took out his phone, calling Edward.

He picked up on the first ring. "Draco? What's going on? Where are you two?"

"We're at the lake!" Rosalie called happily. "Come join us, guys!"

Draco laughed and said, "Yeah, come on."

Edward dropped the phone in shock when he heard Draco's laugh.


	5. Guess Who?

Stand Strong Chapter 5 ~ Guess Who?

Draco smiled and laughed for the first time in a long time that day. The kids stayed out at the lake for a long time, until Esme called Rosalie's phone.

"Hi mother, we're still down at the lake." Rosalie said, smiling and playfully shoving Edwards.

"Okay, well it's time to come home for a little bit, there's someone here for you kids." Esme said.

"Alright we'll head home right now then." Rosalie said, smiling and ranging up. She looked at her adopted siblings and smiled. All the boys were rough housing and laughing while Alice lay on a rock, watching.

"Alright break it up boys; Esme says it's time to come home." Rosalie said, laughing.

"Aww, alright then." They all groaned, picking themselves up and dusting off even though it was no use. Their clothes were so dirty and were even torn in a few places from rough housing around in the bushes and brambles.

Everyone walked back to the house and stopped when they saw who was standing in the living room with Carlisle. Edward had to hold Emmett back but wasn't able to control Jasper when he launched himself at Jacob. Carlisle caught him around the waist and tossed him back to where he had been standing.

Edward, Jasper, and Emmett began yelled at Jacob, threatening him while Jacob stood there. Nothing about his expression or his body language was offensive. He stood in black slacks and black button up shirt which had the top two buttons undone. Jacob held a bouquet of red roses by his side.

Draco opened his mouth and the room went dead quiet.

"You're not welcome here." Draco said.

"Please, Draco, just here me out." Jacob waited for Draco to nod. "Sam was never supposed to attack you. No one was supposed to get hurt at all. The plan was that we'd scare you a bit, rough up the Cullens, and you'd start loving me again. You'd remember that we belong together. Thinking back, I don't see the logic in that plan anymore but then again I hadn't been in my right mind when I agreed to it. I'll get to that part later though. Sam completely disregarded the plan we had agreed upon as a pack. When he attacked you, Draco, I felt his teeth sink into _me_. I was so mad; I didn't ask him for an explanation. I ripped his head off. I was automatically made Alpha. There were no questions about it. After that, I came here but nobody would let me in. They had thought it was my fault. Hell, the doc and his wife looked like they'd kill me on the spot when I got here. I needed to see you though, to plead my case. So here I am, in love with you and desperate to get you back. I never meant to hit you or anything but Sam had influenced me to test a drug that was supposed to make us into super strong wolves. It didn't work but it altered my state of mind. I wasn't in control of myself most of the time. I remembered the incidents after they happened but I had no control of my actions at the time they occurred. I love you and I would never intentionally hurt you. I'm better than for you than Harry is. I understand what you're going through and I can be here with you to hold you. I'm easy for you to be around, you don't have to worry about hurting me or killing me because you love me and you know it. We're supposed to be together. It's fate."

Draco forced himself to stay where he was and not throw himself into Jacob's arms. He had to resist. Harry was right for him, not Jacob. No matter how sweet Jacob was being, Draco couldn't just forget all that Jacob had done to him without proof. Proof that Jacob couldn't give him.

"You need to leave, Jacob. Come back when you have more to give me than just empty promises." Draco said.

Jacob sighed and nodded, "I hadn't expected you to say anything different. I hadn't even expected you to listen to what I had to say so I guess I should be grateful for that much." Jacob nodded once more and set the flowers down on the coffee table and walked out of the Cullen's house.

The Cullens stared at Draco. Minutes passed and still none of them moved. Esme finally walked over and picked up the flowers.

"I'd better go put these in some water. I'll go up and put them in your room, okay Draco?" Esme said.

Draco shook his head, "No, I don't want them. I'll go throw them out."

Esme stood there, holding the flowers. "Draco, are you sure? These are so beautiful, think of how cheerful they'll make your room look." She said uncertainly.

"If you like them that much, I'll put them in water and set them on the dining room table. Okay?" Carlisle said.

Esme shook her head, "That's okay. If Draco thinks we should throw them out, we'll throw them out. I can always order some other flowers." She said, walking out of the room.

Draco sighed, "I'm going to go out to get Esme flowers. I know this great… florist... Who I'll never see again because she's human." Draco shook his head and turned to Alice. "Can we do some shopping?"

Alice grinned, "Sure! Come on!" she said, grabbing him by his arm and dragging him upstairs.

Four hours and four thousand dollars later, Draco and Alice walked down the stairs.

"You're both smiling. How much did you guys spend this time?" Jasper asked, smiling. He held his arms open and Alice crossed the room and folded herself into his arms.

"Four." She said.

"Hundred?" Emmett asked hopefully.

Alice laughed, "You're funny! Thousand."

Jasper laughed, Emmett shook his head, and Edward, who was in the other room playing on his grand piano, groaned.

"Why do we arm them with credit cards?" Rosalie joked, walking down the stairs with a smile on her face. She sat down on the couch, patting her lap.

"Because it brings us joy when we spend ridiculously large amounts of money on overpriced designer bags and shoes and clothes." Draco said happily. He flopped down on the couch and put his head in Rosalie's lap.

"I'm bored now." Draco said.

Alice sighed, "Me too."

Draco picked up the remote and turned on the TV. He lay there flicking through channel after channel until he found something that everyone would be interested in – Say Yes to the Dress.

The kids sat around for the rest of the day watching TV and chatting with each other. Esme and Carlisle watched from the kitchen, happy their kids were enjoying each others company.


	6. A Trip to Town

**A/N: Okay, so, here's this week's chapter. I'm not quite sure when the next chapter will be up, I'm going to try to get it up by this time next week but I'm not going to make any promises. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I don't own Harry Potter or Twilight. I just manipulate the characters to fit my own storylines.**

Stand Strong Chapter 6 ~ A Trip to Town

Draco lay on his bed, writing. Carlisle had noticed that Draco liked to write, so he had bought him a set of beautiful leather covered journals to keep his stories in.

Suddenly he sighed and let the notebook fall from his hand onto the bed. He heard Emmett climbing the stairs and put on a happy face as Emmett burst into his room.

Even if Draco wasn't an empath, he would have known by Emmett's expression that he was ecstatic.

"Draco! I just beat the last level of Angry Birds!" he exclaimed, holding up his iPod.

Draco forced himself to smile although he was unsure if he should encourage his brother's near addiction to video games. "Really? Cool!"

"So what have you been up to, baby brother?"

Draco groaned. The 'kids' of the Cullen clan had picked up the habit of calling Draco the 'baby' of the family since he was the youngest when he had been turned.

"Oh leave the kid alone, Emmett. Go buy some more apps." Jasper teased as he walked into Draco's room. He flicked a new iTunes card at Emmett. Jasper sat in the swivel chair in front of Draco's desk.

"Don't read any of those papers, thanks." Draco said, walking over and gathering the papers that had been scattered on his desk. The papers were written on, back and front, with crossed out and scribbled words and notes in the margins. There was about forty papers altogether.

"Why, what are they?" Emmett said, making a grab for them.

Draco folded them up and slipped them into his pocket. "None of your business." Draco said, smiling.

Jasper shrugged. "Fair enough."

"So what are we going to do today, eh, Draco?" Emmett asked.

"Well… I'd like to try going closer to town." Draco said quietly.

"No." Esme said from downstairs.

"But… but Esme…please?" Draco whined.

"No, Draco. I'm sorry. If I let you boys go close to town and something happened, Edward would have our heads." Esme said.

"But Esme, nothing will happen! It'll be Jasper and Emmett against me. They can totally hold me back!" Draco said, running downstairs and into the kitchen where Esme was cutting and arranging flowers.

Vases and vases of flowers filled the kitchen, each different in its own way. The thick perfume of hundreds of flowers hovered in the air. Draco nearly stopped to admire the beauty of the arrangements but he remembered that he was on a mission.

Esme sighed and put down the scissors she had been using on the counter and folded her arms over her stomach. "I don't know Draco… it's dangerous. Edward would be furious if you went close to town…"

"Then we wont tell him! Please Esme, please! I've _got_ to get out of the house and off the property. Just for a little bit… please…" Draco begged.

Esme sighed. "… you boys had better be back in an hour. No later than that." She said firmly.

"Yay! Thank you!" Draco said, clapping his hands and hugging Esme.

Esme squeezed him and let him go. "Go on. You're already on the clock." She said. She smiled as the boys ran out.

Draco, Emmett, and Jasper ran until they reached the outskirts of town then they stopped.

"… can we find him?" Draco asked quietly.

Jasper sighed, "Draco, we're lucky Esme let us come close town. She's sticking her out for us. If Edward knew we were this close, he'd kill me and Emmett for bringing you."

"He won't know. I'm in control, Jazz. I'm totally fine. I don't even need to talk to him, I just want to see him." Draco said. He knew he wasn't fine. Already the scent of so much human blood filled his nostrils and made him crave their blood but he held onto his control.

"Oh come on Jasper, he's got this. Look at him, look at how bad he needs to see Harry." Emmett said.

Jasper shook his head. "Alright, how about this, we'll go by his house and if he's there you can wave to him, maybe talk to him, but no physical contact. Not even a touch of the hand. Do you understand me?" he paused long enough for Draco to nod, "If he's not there then… I don't know. We'll cross that bridge if we come to it. Deal?"

"But he's probably in school, Jazz." Draco said.

"Better to check if he's home than assume he's not." Jasper pointed out.

"Alright. I'll take what I can get." Draco said.

"Fine. What we're going to do is go around to the other side of town. Since his house is right up against the woods, we can get there without having to go directly through town. The less temptation, the better. Emmett, stand on the other side of him, just in case he can't control himself." Jasper said.

Emmett nodded. He got into position and they started to run. They gave the town a wide girth and were careful not to get too close to the humans.

The boys reached the far side town and found Harry's house.

"Alright, you ready Draco? Don't get embarrassed if you need to go back home or at least further away from town. You're still really young and you haven't been exposed to the temptation of humans. This is extremely risky and dangerous and if you need help you have _got_ to tell us. Do you understand?" Jasper said seriously. He stood in front of Draco with his hands on Draco's shoulders.

Draco nodded. He could handle this. He mentally braced himself as they ran up to Harry's house. They found an unlocked window and hopped.

Draco smelled Harry's scent everywhere. It was a sweet, delicious scent that flooded his nostrils and made his mouth water. The smell reminded Draco of cinnamon rolls.

Jasper stared at Draco, watching him closely.

"You okay, little bro?" Emmett asked, looking sidelong at Draco.

Draco nodded. "I got this."

Draco walked up the stairs. He passed Harry's room and walked into his old room.

Everything was exactly as Draco had left it, except for his floor. Textbooks were splayed out across the floor with papers sticking out every which way.

Draco bent and pulled a page of notes from one of the books. In the top right corner it read 'Harry Snape. Chemistry, Period 6'. Harry did his homework here. In here, in Draco's room which was still there as if he had never left it. As if Draco could still walk right back in and fall back into the normal step of things. As if Draco was still human.

Draco let himself fall to his knees and he began to sob wretchedly. He missed being human. He missed Harry. He missed his love.

Emmett gently patted Draco on the back, comforting him the best he could.

Jasper stood in the doorway and observed Draco, unsure of what he should do. The grief and sadness rolled off of Draco like great waves and they crashed against Jasper unrelentingly.

"I miss him… so much…" Draco sobbed.

"I know Draco, I know." Emmett said.

"Turn me back…somehow… please make me human…" he sobbed even harder.

Jasper began to feel dizzy with the amount of sadness Draco was giving off. He leaned against the doorframe to keep his balance. "Draco, please calm down."

"I can't… I can't be a vampire… I'm not meant to be…"

"Draco, calm down. Come on, relax." Emmett said.

Jasper began to sob.

"Christ…" Emmett said.

"I've got to get outside…" Jasper sobbed.

"Alright, go on." Emmett said, waving a hand dismissively.

Jasper fled the room, leaving Emmett with Draco who was mumbling and sobbing.

"Draco, calm down. What's going on with you? You shouldn't be able to feel this without feeling it from someone else." Emmett said.

Draco clutched his chest. "It hurts, Emmett."

"I know. Now that's enough. Calm down. Breathe deeply, alright?" Emmett said, kneeling by Draco.

Draco took deep breaths until his sobbing subsided. "I miss him Emmett. And he's not even here." Draco whispered.

"That's probably a good thing. You're still very young and you might not have been able to control yourself very well." Jasper said, coming back into the house.

"But it is a huge accomplishment that you were able to come this close to town and not lose your mind." Emmett said. "Carlisle is going to be so impressed that you made it this far." He said smiling proudly at Draco.

"We're not going to tell anyone remember? Edward would kill us." Jasper pointed out.

"And by 'us' you mean 'you and I' right?" Emmett said. "Because Edward would blame us for talking Draco here when we _knew_ he was too young and we _knew_ something could happen and we _knew_ a human could get killed, blah, blah, blah." Emmett said, imitating Edward's voice perfectly.

Draco chuckled slightly. He took a deep breath to calm himself down and the scent that he's been smelling suddenly grew stronger. Draco's mouth began to water.

Downstairs, a door opened and slammed shut. A bag dropped to the floor and a guy sighed.

Harry was home.


	7. Mistake

**A/N: Sorry for very irregular updates but here's another chapter. I'll try to post the next one soon. They're all written out, I've just got to make the time to type it all up. R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything other than the storyline.**

Stand Strong Chapter 7 ~ Mistake

"Harry…" Draco breathed. He couldn't stop the name from escaping his lips.

"Draco, we've got to leave. Now. You can't handle this, you're too young." Jasper said quickly.

Draco didn't hear Jasper. He didn't want to hear him. Instead, he called out, "Harry."

"No!" Jasper hissed. He grabbed Draco and shoved him toward Emmett.

Emmett, stunned by Jasper's reaction, caught Draco but let him go once he had found his balance.

"Draco?" Harry shouted.

"Damn it, Draco. Go!" Jasper hissed, trying to shove Draco out the window.

Emmett put a hand on Jasper's shoulder. "Jazz, calm down. Maybe he can handle it."

"Are you crazy? He hasn't been around humans yet and he's not even six months old!"

"But thing, he isn't savage when he feeds. He's calm. Calmer than Edward, even. He fed two nights ago so he's not consumed by his hunger, he can think." Emmett reasoned. They spoke quickly, too quickly for a human's ears to pick up.

"A newborn's a newborn!" Jasper exclaimed. "We shouldn't have brought him here!"

"He doesn't behave like a typical newborn and you know it! Give him the chance!" Emmett said, gesticulating wildly towards Draco.

Jasper shook his head then he stilled. He thought for a second then narrowed his eyes at Draco. "Once chance, don't mess it up. Please. For your sake. I doubt you could live with yourself if you killed him." With that, he and Emmett ducked out the window and balanced on the strip of roof outside. They got into position so that if Draco lost control, they could launch themselves inside quickly.

"Draco? Where are you?" Harry shouted.

Draco sat in the swivel chair in his old room; he wanted to look like he'd been waiting for Harry. "Up here." Draco called.

Draco heard Harry running up the stairs and he burst into the room. Draco had to stop breathing; Harry's scent was much stronger.

Harry started to throw himself into Draco's arms but Draco held up a hand.

"Harry, wait. I'm still learning how to control myself. It's hard to be in the same room as you." Draco moved to the window and stuck his head out, taking a deep breath. He turned back to Harry. "I haven't been around humans and I'm trying my damnedest to keep control. So I've got-" he stuck his head out for another breath, "to ask you not to make sudden moves."

Harry stared at Draco, mesmerized. He nodded once. "I… Draco you're… beautiful." Harry breathed. "Even more so, I mean."

Draco smiled, mildly embarrassed at this unexpected compliment. "Thank you." He stuck his head out for another breath, "Apparently you haven't looked at my eyes."

"No, Draco, they're beautiful. You're beautiful…" Harry said, "I've missed you…"

"I miss you too." Draco said.

Harry stretched out his hand and slowly touched Draco's cheek.

The touch startled Draco and he gasped.

It felt as if everything stopped for a moment. Then it kicked back into gear and everything went ten times faster than usual. Draco pushed Harry away from him, unintentionally rough. A growl of frustration rushed out of him. He moved to jump out the window and Emmett and Jasper grabbed him and helped him the rest of the way out. Harry ran to the window to try and talk to Draco one more time but by the time he'd crossed the room, the vampires had gone.

Once they'd ran far enough away that Draco couldn't smell Harry's scent, the boys stopped.

Draco sunk to the ground, shaking his head in disbelief.

This time, it was Jasper who comforted him.

"Hey… hey… you did well. You didn't hurt him, you controlled yourself very well. That could have turned into a much worse situation. Emmett and I were prepared to jump in there and rip you off Harry, not help you get away because you recognized your control slipping." Jasper said, patting Draco on the back.

"But Jazz… I can't control myself… I'm a monster… What if I never learn control?" Draco said miserably.

"Draco stop it." Emmett snapped suddenly. "Now you're being ridiculous. One day you'll be able to be around him. One day soon. I promise."

"How are you so sure?" Draco asked, looking up at him.

"Because. We're going to convince Edward you need you be around humans more. We're going to convince him to bring Bella to the house." Emmett said with a wild grin.

"He wouldn't do that. He wouldn't put Bella in that kind of danger." Draco said, shaking his head.

Jasper and Emmett looked at each other then burst out laughing.

Draco's eyes narrowed. "Why are you laughing at me?"

Once his laughter subsided, Emmett said, "Edward would do anything for you. You're his favorite person in this world. He puts you above everyone else. If you and Bella were about to be hit by buses and he could only save one of you, he'd choose you without hesitation."

"But… it wouldn't hurt me… it would kill Bella." Draco reasoned slowly.

"Exactly. His protectiveness of you is irrational." Jasper said, "And he'd do anything to help you."

Draco shrugged, "I guess I could talk to him when he gets home from school."

Jasper nodded, and then froze. He took out his phone and checked the time then swore. "Now I know why Esme gave us a time limit. She wanted us home and two fifteen because Edward and the girls get out of school at two thirty."

"What time is it?" Emmett asked.

"Two twenty-five." Draco answered, looking at his own phone. A text from Edward caused his phone to vibrate. The song 'Only God Can Judge Me' by Tupac Shakur played loudly. Draco watched the little envelope jump up and down happily. He pressed 'open' and read the text.

_Cut last period a bit short. On my way home, D. Maybe we can go swimming!_

Jasper grabbed Draco's phone and read the text. "We've got to get home before Edward does." He said.

"_If_ we get home before him. You know how he rushes home to check on Draco." Emmett said.

"I don't think we can run that fast." Jasper said, taking off.

Draco and Emmett laughed then followed Jasper.

Trees became green and brown blurs with a blue and white backdrop that was the sky. They were moving so fast, it was hard to tell if their feet were still on the ground. All other sounds were muted out and the only thing they heard was the rush of wind in their ears.

The boys came to the house and stopped. Edward's car was just pulling into the driveway and they ran around to the back of the house, pulling off their shirts and stepping out of their shoes and socks. They cannon-balled into the pool just as Edward shut off his car and went into the house. The boys could hear him talking to Esme. They made sure to splash and play around like they usually would.

"How was he today?" Edward asked.

"Good. He, Jasper, and Emmett went out for a run earlier." Esme said.

"Not to close to town, right?" Edward asked.

"Of course, Edward. Of course." Esme said.

Draco could feel nerves rushing off of her in waves so he climbed out of the pool and jogged up onto the porch. He opened the sliding door and called out.

"Edward! You're home!" Draco called, smiling.

Edward walked into the living room. He crossed the room and laughed. "Outside, Draco. You're dripping on the hardwood."

Draco laughed. "Aw, okay. Come swim!" he said, running and jumping back into the pool.

Edward chuckled and peeled off his shirt, dropping it. He took off his Vans and socks and jumped in.

Rosalie and Alice walked out onto the deck and waved.

"Come get in the water, Rose!" Emmett called.

Rosalie shook her head as she went and sat in one of the chairs by the pool. "No. I curled my hair and put it up. I'm not ruining it just to swim."

"Alice?" Jasper asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Alice followed and sat in a chair next to Rosalie. She shook her head. "No."

They guys exchanged a look, then splashed Alice and Rosalie.

Rosalie screeched with anger as the water hit her and her hair. She reached into the pile of braids and undid one which caused the rest to unwind. She tied her hair up in a ponytail and leapt into the pool. She tackled Emmett and held him under water. They began to play fight and Jasper climbed out of the pool.

He walked up to Alice with his arms outstretched and grabbed her. He tossed Alice into the pool and laughed until she pulled him into the pool by his ankles.

Draco tapped Edward on the shoulder. "I have to talk to you about something."

Edward looked at Draco, trying to read his mind but Draco set up mental wards so Edward couldn't tell what he was thinking. He nodded slowly and they began to run. They ran until they were out of earshot from the rest and then stopped.

"What do you need, Draco?" Edward asked lightly. His tone was cheerful and eager to help.

"Could… bring Bella to the house more, please. I want to learn control. I want to be able to be around Harry without hurting him. I miss him." Draco said. He started off slowly but by the end he was talking so fast, Edward had a hard time understanding him.

Edward was quiet for a long while. He stood and stared at Draco. His eyes were torn. Finally, after a long pause, he said, "Alright. But if she gets hurt, she won't be allowed back to the house for a long while. Okay?"

Draco nodded. "I'll need help though, Edward. Don't let me hurt her."

Edward pulled Draco into a hug. "You'll do well, Draco. I know you will. I have a feeling you won't even need my help. And we'll go hunting right before she comes over, as an extra precaution."

Draco hugged Edward. He clung to him like a child clings to its mother on the first day of kindergarten – scared of what lay ahead.


	8. Tame Newborn

**A/N: I'm alive and I haven't given up on this story! I've just been impossibly busy. To make up for it, I've got a moderately long chapter for you all! Enjoy! R&R!**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter or Twilight universe.**_

Stand Strong Chapter 8: Tame Newborn

Draco wiped his mouth on his sleeve and straightened up. He walked away from the dead deer he'd been feeding on and back to the house quickly. Bella would be at the house in ten minutes.

Draco stood on the back deck and stepped out of his hunting shoes. They had large bloodstains splattered, some new, most old, but all were the deep reddish-brown of dried blood.

He swooped to pick up the shoes then ran upstairs. He showered and threw on a pair of skinny jeans and a white button up long sleeve. He left the shirt unbuttoned and he jogged down the stairs.

In the living room, everyone was in their usual spots. The spots were almost assigned, everyone had a spot and no one else sat in someone else's spot. Emmett lounged on the recliner with Rosalie on the floor by his feet, paying video games with Jasper who sat on the end of the couch closest to the recliner. Alice lay on the couch with her head in Jasper's lap and her feet on Edward's lap, reading a book. Edward sat at the other end of the couch balancing a notebook on Alice's feet, writing lyrics while listening to Alice's thoughts as she read. They chuckled in sync at the funny parts and shook their head at other parts.

Draco walked into the living room and Alice lifted her legs unconsciously so Draco could sit between her and Edward. Once he'd sat down, Alice put her legs down across Draco's lap and her feet rested on Edward's lap again.

Edward moved his notebook to the arm rest and continued writing.

Draco looked over at what Edward was writing.

Edward nodded, "That's even better, thanks." He said to Draco, scribbling out what he'd written and writing something else in.

"Why didn't you go pick Bella up?" Draco asked.

"Carlisle thought it would be better if I stood here so that when Bella comes in I could be close to you to help if you start to slip." Edward said.

"We're doing it inside?" Draco asked nervously.

"Would you rather we didn't?" Jasper asked, not looking away from the TV.

Draco nodded, "And then once I get the hang of it, maybe we could move inside."

"Draco, don't expect to get the hang of this right away. Don't expect to right away be able to be in an enclosed room without loosing control the second she steps in. It'll take a long time."

Draco wanted to tell Edward that he was wrong. He wanted to tell Edward that he had been able to be in a room with Harry for at least two minutes. But he kept his mouth shut so he wouldn't get Jasper and Emmett in trouble.

Instead, Draco just nodded.

"Phone." Alice said absently.

A second later, Edward's phone rang. Carlisle.

"Yeah?" Edward answered. He paused then said, "We've decided to do it outside. In the back." Another pause and then "Okay. Bye." And Edward closed his phone with a _snap_.

"Alright, come on Draco. They'll be here momentarily. And button your shirt for Christ's sake. That looks sloppy." Edward said, getting up.

Alice moved her legs so Draco could stand up.

"You remember the page?" Alice asked Edward.

"One hundred and forty-two." Edward said.

Alice nodded and closed the book, dropping it on the coffee table and following Edward and Draco out to the backyard. Jasper and Emmett paused their game and walked outside as well with Rosalie following behind.

"Shirt." Edward said to Draco,

"What about it?" Draco asked.

"Button it up. It looks sloppy." Edward said.

"No it doesn't, it looks fine." Draco said indignantly.

"Yes it does." Edward said. "Please button your shirt."

"Alright, _mom_." Draco said, rolling his eyes. He buttoned his shirt up halfway and rolled the sleeves up twice.

Edward nodded. Everyone stood still for a minute until they heard the crunch of tires on gravel.

Edward and Emmett stood beside Draco, and Jasper stood a few yards away. Rosalie and Alice went out to the front and when they came back, Bella and Carlisle were following them. Esme watched from the back porch, ready to intervene if she was needed.

Emmett and Jasper looked at Draco with knowing, yet encouraging eyes. They both nodded once.

Those nods let Draco know that his adoptive brothers knew he had screwed up but they still supported him. They still had faith in him.

A breeze blew Bella's scent into Draco's face. Everyone tensed, ready to spring into action but all Draco did was back up two steps.

"Good job, Draco." Esme said encouragingly.

Draco breathed in, smelling Bella's scent. He clenched his fists in an effort to control himself. Once he'd calmed down, he looked around. Everyone watched him closely.

Draco stepped forward two steps. He felt Emmett's hand on his arm and Carlisle spoke.

"It's alright. Let him." Carlisle said calmly.

Emmett nodded and let his arm fall.

Draco stood still, not breathing for a while as he grasped his control again. He braced himself and took a breath.

Nothing happened. Draco didn't feel a pull from Bella. He didn't feel anything but normal.

Draco's eyebrows furrowed.

He took a step closer.

Nothing.

He took three steps closer.

Nothing.

He took four steps closer, then five.

As he got closer and closer, Bella began to smile for her friend. She began to nod as he approached.

"Good…good…" she said as he practically inched closer.

Draco saw that his close proximity unnerved Edward, Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper but he kept moving forward.

When he was two feet away from Bella, Draco stopped.

"I don't want her." Draco said.

"What do you mean, Draco?" Carlisle asked.

"I don't want to drink from her. I don't want her blood." Draco said slowly.

"But Draco you're… you've got to…" Edward fumbled for words.

Draco looked at Bella. "Bells, would you let me hug you?"

Bella smiled and nodded. She stretched out her arms for Draco.

"Don't make any sudden moves, okay?" Draco said seriously.

Bella nodded, "Okay."

Draco slowly stepped toward her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He hugged her and she hugged him, resting her head on his shoulder. Draco let go of her and turned around to look at the rest of the Cullens.

They looked at Draco, stunned.

"…That's remarkable." Carlisle said slowly.

"Is it maybe because he was isolated from humans for as long as he's been a vampire?" Edward asked.

"Did you feel any bloodlust at all, Draco?" Esme asked, puzzled.

Draco nodded. "At first, yeah. But once I wasn't nervous then I didn't want her blood at all. Only when I was nervous."

Carlisle nodded thoughtfully. "I think your lack of human bloodlust has something to do with the magic in you. Also with the isolation. Once you're calm and collected you're fine, but nerves cause you to lust for blood."

"So what does this mean?" Draco asked.

"I think it means…you're the first tame newborn. Or at least the first one I've ever encountered. You shouldn't be able to be a hundred feet from Bella, let alone hug her without going temporarily insane." Carlisle said.

"Is this a good thing? What does this mean?" Draco asked, tilting his head.

"It means that as long as you remain calm and don't get too nervous, you can be around humans." Jasper said.


	9. NVy

**A/N: Busy busy busy, but I've got an extra long chapter! 9 pages! Enjoy!**

Stand Strong Chapter 9: N-Vy

Carlisle had decided it would be best if Draco waited before telling Harry about his recently discovered lack of bloodlust. Draco had agreed even though it practically killed him to hear he'd have to be away from Harry for even longer.

Draco went through the days as usual. One day when he was practicing piano with Edward, Edward stopped Draco abruptly in the middle of a particularly challenging and complicated piece.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad." Draco said, smiling.

"Oh no, you were flawless so far." Edward said.

"Then why the hell did you stop me? I was doing perfect, I was on a roll." Draco laughed.

Edward smiled, "If you're really perfect at playing, you'll be able to do it again later. The reason I stopped you was because I've got a preposition for you."

Draco turned around to face him. "Alright. Let's hear it then."

"So you know I used to go to Bella's house at night, back before we became a couple? We've told you the story?" Edward waited for Draco to nod before he continued, "I would go at night to build my control because I wasn't sure I would be able to handle myself. It was a trial run, if you will. At first I went without telling anyone. It was a matter of pride. Now, looking back, it was stupid and reckless that no one knew where I was going or what I was doing. There was no one to help me. Anyway, my point is, Carlisle and I have decided it would be counter productive if you were to just sit here doing nothing to help your control. So, basically, if you would like to we or you can go to Harry's house tonight. It is up to you to decide if you want to go by yourself."

Draco stared at Edward, slowly making sense of what he'd just said. "So… I… can go to see Harry… but only at night while he's sleeping?"

Edward nodded.

"Isn't that sort of stalker-like?" Draco asked.

Edward chuckled, "You don't know how many times I've heard that. No, Draco, it isn't. It's a method to test your control without introducing the unpredictable element of Harry's actions. You don't need to take that risk yet. Once you've had more practice, then we'll talk."

Draco nodded and checked the time on his phone. "But how will we know what time he's asleep? It's Friday, he could be up all night…"

"He's always asleep at ten thirty. No matter what day, he's always been asleep by that time."

"And… how do you know what time my boyfriend falls asleep at night?" Draco asked.

"Carlisle and I have been looking into it so we could narrow down exactly how much time you'll have." Edward explained.

"But you didn't know I'd say yes." Draco said.

"Draco, with the amount that you talk about Harry there was no doubt in our minds that you would say anything but yes." Edward said, smiling.

Draco nodded, "Fair enough."

"So we'll leave the house at ten thirty, okay?" Edward said.

Draco nodded.

"Until then, let's hear your perfect playing." Edward teased lightly.

Draco started to pick up from where they'd left off but Edward stopped him.

"From the beginning." Edward said, smiling.

Draco laughed and shook his head, but started again.

"My fingers are going to fall off." Draco whined, ten hours later.

Edward laughed, "That's a good sign. Means you've practiced just the right amount."

Carlisle, overhearing the boy's conversation, chuckled. "Not everyone has the endurance to play all day like you do, Edward."

Draco and Edward walked downstairs to find everyone standing in the kitchen or sitting on the counters.

"Your drill sergeant finally let you off, Draco?" Emmett joked.

"I'm just trying to make sure he is the best he can be. I know he can do great things." Edward said, smiling.

Draco hopped onto one of the counters and sat. He had a good view of everyone in the room.

"So are we going or not?" Rosalie asked.

"Going where?" Draco asked. He'd been so into his music that he hadn't been paying attention to what they had been talking about downstairs.

Emmett sighed, "Rose and Alice want to go to some club."

"It's not just some club! It's N-Vy!" Alice exclaimed.

"I'll go if Draco does." Emmett said.

"Me too." Jasper agreed.

"Envy? Like the emotion?" Draco asked.

Alice nodded. "It's a club in California. It's new and it's getting rave reviews."

"Come on, let's go!" Rosalie said.

"But I… we were…" Draco trailed.

"Come _on_ Draco, it'll be fun!" Alice said.

"But it's all the way in California…" Draco said.

"Exactly my point." Emmett said, rolling his eyes.

"But it's _so_ worth it!" Rosalie said.

Draco looked to Edward, silently asking what he should do.

"Why don't we go tomorrow night?" Edward suggested.

"They're only open Friday nights." Jasper said. "So we'd have to wait until next week to go."

"We could always do our thing tomorrow, Draco." Edward said.

"Please, Draco?" Alice and Rosalie said in unison.

Draco was torn for a moment. Go and see Harry or go dancing with his siblings?

Finally, Draco decided. "Alright."

"Yay!" Alice said, jumping off the counter to hug Draco. Rosalie followed suit.

Draco laughed.

"Come on Rose, let's go get dressed!" Alice said.

The girls ran off to get ready, leaving Draco in the kitchen with the other guys.

Emmett sighed, "Looks like we're going to Cali."

"You all be responsible!" Esme called from the porch. The kids all piled into Emmett's Jeep.

"Relax, Esme. It's not like we can get drunk." Edward assured her.

"We don't know that for Draco." Esme said, wringing her hands.

"That would be hilarious." Emmett laughed.

"No it would not! Do not even try it, Draco Malfoy Cullen! Edward, look after Draco!"

"Yes, Esme." Everyone said at once. Rosalie took off, tires screeching as she peeled out.

After they achieved the near impossible task of finding a parking space, they headed into N-Vy. The girls gasped when they walked in.

The club was dark with strobe lights around the dance floor. The bar was lit with green lights and it gave half of the club an ethereal glow. The dance floor was packed with bodies, swaying and pulsing to the beat.

Edward turned to Draco, "You okay?"

Draco nodded. "I'm perfect. I don't feel a pull from any of these people."

Edward nodded. "And don't worry, we'll go tomorrow night. It was a good thing you did, sacrificing what you wanted to do so you could make the girls happy." He said, clapping Draco on the back.

Draco smiled, happy now that he knew he'd made the right choice yet he still felt like he was in the wrong for not going to see Harry at the first chance he got. He tried to shake the feeling as they all went out on the dance floor.

Out on the dance floor, the club was a whole different place. The strobe lights were brighter here and flashed spastically. When one went off there was a moment of darkness then the club was illuminated by another. Bodies were packed closely but not so closely as to be uncomfortable.

Draco lost himself in the music and the beat. He danced for what seemed like forever. Hours passed and the Cullens slowly migrated until they were almost evenly dispersed around the dance floor, without realizing it.

Someone tapped Draco on the shoulder and he turned around.

Draco's first thought was that he looked good. He'd cut his hair very short in a flat top style. He was wearing loose jeans that hung perfectly on his hips and a deep emerald button up long sleeve with black vans and a black fedora.

"You want to dance?" Jacob asked over the music.

Draco stared at Jacob. He wondered if he should. If he were to dance with Jacob, would that mean something?

Slowly, Draco nodded. Jacob started moving with the music and Draco matched his moves. Jacob moved slightly closer to Draco until Draco was grinding on him.

"I've missed you." Jacob said.

"I haven't." Draco said honestly.

"Ouch. Okay, I deserved that one." Jacob said, nodding.

They danced in silence for a while until Jacob caught Draco's wrist.

Draco looked at him questioningly.

"You want to go outside? Just for a bit?" Jacob asked.

This caused Draco to stop dancing. He shook his head. "No Jacob."

"Okay, okay. Sorry. We'll stay here. How about I buy you a drink?" Jacob asked.

Draco stared at him. "I don't think there's a point. It won't do anything."

"You don't know that. Come on, it'll be fun." Jacob said, lightly tugging on Draco by the wrist.

Draco only hesitated for a second before he let Jacob pull him along.

"Any preference?" Jacob asked.

Draco shook his head, "I don't know the difference. I've never drank before."

"Vodka on the rocks." Jacob said to the bartender, who nodded.

Jacob handed Draco his drink and watched as Draco smelled it.

"I don't know about this Jacob. It's probably going to be like everything else. Alcohol doesn't affect the others one bit." Draco said.

"You're different Draco. None of them were what you were before." Jacob said.

Draco nodded. He took a deep, unnecessary breath and then took a long drink.

Instantly, he felt the affects. He tipped back his glass and finished the rest before setting the glass down and turning to Jacob.

"How are you feeling?" Jacob asked.

"…brilliant." Draco said, smiling a wide smile. His eyes lit up with excitement. "Come on, let's go dance!"

Jacob chuckled, letting Draco pulling him back on the floor. Draco danced with rediscovered enthusiasm. He danced closer to Jacob and as if it were natural.

He found himself thinking this was better than the Yule Ball. And much better than any party his parents had ever thrown.

Jacob laughed, "Oh really? I'm glad you feel that way."

Draco started. Had he spoken aloud? He'd have to be more careful.

"It's really good to see you, Jacob." Draco said, smiling drunkenly. It seemed that the alcohol not only had an affect on him, but the affects were amplified.

"It's good to see you too. I missed you." Jacob tried again.

"I've missed you too. So much." Draco said. "Like, so much. So so much." He said, laughing as he hooked his hands behind Jacob's neck.

Jacob laughed, but let Draco hang on him and dance on him.

Across the floor, Edward spotted Draco hanging on Jacob and laughing. He stopped Alice and leaned in.

"How did he know we'd be here?" Edward asked. His voice shook with anger.

"I… might've mentioned it to Bella…and she might've mentioned it to Jacob…" Alice said in a small voice.

Edward made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat and started to cross the dance floor at a quick human speed.

Draco was smiling at Jacob seductively when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Edward pried Draco off Jacob and stepped in between them, pushing Draco back gently as he backed up.

"What do you want?" Edward asked, narrowing his eyes at Jacob.

"Nothing that involves you. So move." Jacob said, glaring at Edward.

"Draco is my business." Edward said.

"Oh really? How do you figure, leech? He isn't your boyfriend, he isn't your son, hell, he isn't even really related to you."

"He's my brother. And blood relation means nothing to me." Edward said.

"Edward, just re-lax." Draco said, slurring slightly.

"Draco? Have you been…drinking?" Edward asked.

"Maybe a teensy bit." Draco giggled, holding his fingers up an inch apart.

"You bought him a drink, didn't you?" Edward said, turning on Jacob. His hands began to shake. "You have no right to be dancing with him. You have no right to buy him drinks. You have no right to even speak with him!"

"You need to relax, leech. Like Draco said. Re-lax." Jacob said.

"Don't tell me what to do, pup." Edward snarled.

Draco stumbled to get in between the two guys before things could go any further.

"Thass enough you guys." Draco said, swaying slightly.

"You're right. We need to get you home. Or at least in the car. Come on Draco." Edward said, putting a hand on Draco's shoulder.

"I don't want to go." Draco said, shrugging the hand off. "I want to stay here and dance."

Edward sighed. "Draco, it's time to go. That's enough. Come along now."

"'Come along now'?" Jacob said, "You talk to him as if he's a child."

"Jacob's right. I'm not a child, Edward." Draco said, getting agitated. "I can take care of myself."

"OH yes, I completely believe that. I leave you alone for one second and the wolves descend. You accept a drink from him and then dance on him shamelessly." Edward said, shaking his head.

By now, the other Cullens began to notice what was happening between the three boys. They all gathered behind Edward.

Rosalie, fed up, stepped forward and grabbed Draco by the arm.

"Let's. Go. This is enough, Draco. You've made a fool of yourself! Dancing with him! What were you thinking? You should be ashamed." Rosalie snapped, dragging Draco away.

Draco, tamed by Rosalie's harsh tone, followed with his head bowed in new-found shame. His slurred apologies only seemed to egg Rosalie on and she ranted more as she tossed him into the car with a swat on the butt.

"Sit down and shut up." Rosalie said. "Now we're going to sit out here and wait while they deal with Jacob."


	10. Because I love you!

**A/N: Okay, so this chapter is a pretty long one. Hopefully it'll make up for my long absence. I've been very busy. I have a few more chapters lined up, already written, they just need to be typed up. I'll try to post another one within the next few days. R&R. XOXO ~ Musical**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters, but the storyline is all mine.**_

tand Strong Chapter 10 ~ Because I love you!

Draco stumbled drunkenly into the house, shaking off the rain from the storm that was just starting. His siblings followed him in and caught him as he almost tripped over his own feet. To his surprise, Harry sat on the couch talking with Carlisle.

This made Draco smile a wide grin. "Harry! My love!" he stumbled over and kissed him.

Harry pulled back first, laughing. "Draco, in front of your family?"

Draco shrugged and draped himself across Harry's lap. "I missed you." He slurred.

Harry paused, smelling the stench of alcohol that clung to Draco. "Draco… have you been…" he trailed off, unable to say it.

"Drinking." Rosalie snarled. "He's drank vodka with Jacob. The dog offered to buy him a drink and the fool accepted it."

"Jacob? Vodka? Club?" Harry asked, "What have you been doing while we were apart?"

The storm outside picked up, the rain starting to pour.

"I've been here in this house missing you." Draco said. He moved to snuggle against Harry's chest but he was pushed off Harry's lap. In his current state, Draco's balance and reflexes were hindered so he fell to the floor.

Harry stood, "It doesn't sound like it! Sounds like you've been out gallivanting, having a grand old time! With Jacob Black, of all people!"

Draco pulled himself up with much effort, using the couch for support. "It wasn't like that. It was just a dance- drink! I meant drink!"

"_And_ you _danced_ with him?" Harry was furious. "You don't call me to tell me your good news, you just neglect me. Instead of coming to see me, you go out with Jacob! What in the bloody hell were you thinking?"

"It wasn't like that. I had gone out with my family," he gestured around to his siblings, "and stupid Jacob was there in his stupid tight black shirt and stupid nice-fitting jeans and he asked me to dance-"

"Oh, so he was wearing a nice tight shirt, eh? Why in the hell were you looking? You didn't have to accept the dance! But you did anyways! What the hell, Draco?"

Outside, lightning flashed and thunder boomed.

"It wasn't like that!" Draco yelled, irritated.

"You keep _saying_ that! I don't believe you!" Harry yelled back.

Draco, made bold by the vodka, stepped closer to Harry threateningly. "Then don't!" Draco roared.

"Fine! I'm done with you and your drama, Draco Malfoy!" Harry yelled. Tears sprung to his eyes as his voice cracked.

"Then go! See if I care!" Draco yelled, slurring.

"Alright, that's enough. Let's everybody just calm down." Carlisle said in smooth voice, stepping in.

"You both just need to calm down. Draco needs to sober up." Esme said, putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. "There's no use arguing with a drunken man."

Rosalie took Draco by the ear and led him upstairs to the bathroom. Emmett followed.

Harry brushed a tear from his cheek, "I shouldn't have come. Bella told me the news and I rushed over without thinking. I shouldn't have come. I should go." He started to pull his leather jacket on.

"No, Harry. It's a raging storm outside, you can't go." Edward said.

"I can't stay here. Not while he's like this." Harry said, shaking his head.

Upstairs, they heard Rosalie shouting her lecture as Emmett filled the sink with water. He turned the water off and Rosalie dunked Draco's head in the water and held him, judging by the splashing, and then pulled him back up. She waited until his sputtering stopped and then dunked him again. He knew better than to say anything, because he knew she'd make her lecture even worse.

"Sounds like Rose has it handled." Jasper said, trying not to laugh.

Harry looked to Esme, questioning why Rosalie was lecturing and handling Draco.

Esme smiled. She leaned in close and whispered very low, "Rose has always wanted a child. She sees Draco as a chance to be a mother figure so she jumps in as far as disciplining him and spoiling him. But Emmett, who never wanted kids, is content to sit back and be a big brother, like Jasper. But they don't take the brother role as seriously as Edward, they try to be fun and light but Edward tries to guide Draco and help him sort right from wrong.

Harry nodded as he processed the interesting family dynamics.

Upstairs, Draco sputtered and gasped. "Alright, enough! I'm good now!"

"Go to your room. And don't come out until I tell you you can." Rosalie said, deadly calm. Her tone dared Draco to protest.

Draco growled lowly in his chest but said, "Yes, Rosalie."

Downstairs, Esme turned to Harry, "Wait down here for an hour or two, then go to him. You will stay here until the storm passes." She said, grabbing Harry's broom and walking off.

"Yes, Mrs. Cullen." Harry said, nodding.

Jasper walked over to the TV and switched it on and he pressed the power button on the XBOX. He tossed Harry a controlled. "You play Call of Duty?"

Harry shook his head.

"This should be fun then." He said, smiling.

After two hours, Harry gave Emmett the controller, frustrated after he'd died. Again.

Slowly, hesitantly, he ascended the stairs. He walked to the black door with a green 'D' on it and knocked tentatively. No answer. He opened the door, peering in.

Draco's room was empty. There was a note on his desk.

'_Out hunting. 12:06.'_

Harry looked at clock. 12:10. Had Draco left because he didn't want to see him?

Harry shook his head angrily. Why was Draco behaving like this?

Harry sunk into Draco's swivel chair in front of his desk, sighing. On his desk, Draco had many papers and drawings. It was way beyond cluttered. But one thing on that desk caught Harry's eye. A single, silver picture frame. It held a picture of the night they had gone out and Harry had convinced Draco to be his.

Another thing got Harry's attention as well. A notebook.

It was open to a page with his name at the top in big, fancy handwriting. The page was full from the left margin to the edge of the page. Every line was full.

The writing at the top of the page was careful and neat but the bottom quarter of the page was scribbled and careless.

_Handsome boy how can you doubt me,_

_Handsome boy why do you treat me like this?_

_Call me cheater, hurt my pride,_

_Does this mean you'll be leaving my side?_

Harry shook his head at the near scribbles and tears rushed to his eyes suddenly. He had said stupid things to Draco. He knew he couldn't live without Draco.

"What are you doing? Who said you could read that?"

Harry jumped at Draco's voice. He dropped the notebook, then remembered himself and stood.

"I did." Harry said. "I'm your boyfriend. I can read whatever of yours I want to. You don't have anything to hide, right?"

"That's not right! Those are my private thoughts!" Draco said.

"Thoughts that you never would have shared with me otherwise. If I have to resort to snooping then I will if it means it could fix us." Harry said.

"What's broken? I didn't want to fight with you in the first place! I didn't even know you would be here! Or I would have-"

"You would have what? Stood home instead of going out with Jacob? You didn't even tell me about your control! Carlisle had to finish explaining it to me when I got here! I rushed over once Bella told me." Harry said, exasperated. "You didn't call me. You didn't answer my texts or e-mails. You haven't even tried to contact me. The only news about you that I got, the only indication you were still in the state, was from your family. You weren't in my life at all, Draco. It was as if you'd died."

"I did die! And I had to get through it all by myself! Of course I didn't text you! My phone got smashed when I was attacked! I couldn't call you or e-mail you. It would have been to difficult not to see you. It would have killed me!" Draco shouted.

"And you think it didn't kill me that I didn't hear back from you? I never knew where you were or what you were doing. Or who you were with." Harry said bitterly.

"I wasn't with Jacob! I hardly saw him! I saw him about two times; the first was when he came and tried to get me back, the second was tonight." Draco said.

"Oh yeah? But you kept all of this from him?" Harry threw up his arms, gesturing to the gifts from Jacob that were all around the room. "They've got to be from him because I certainly didn't send any of this!"

"You're right! You _didn't_ send anything! Nothing to show you were even thinking of me!" Draco said.

Harry laughed bitterly. "Once a Malfoy, always a Malfoy. Superficial. You need monetary tokens to show love, right? I can't believe I though you'd changed completely. You just hid the arrogant Malfoy. And here he is! Rearing his ugly head!" Harry picked up a bottle of cologne and chucked it at Draco. Draco ducked and it smashed into the wall, blue cologne dripping down the wall.

"Oh so I'm superficial?" Draco yelled. "Go ahead, break some more stuff! See if I care! I won't because I don't care about this stuff! They're just things!" Draco ducked as Harry threw a steel-toed boot at Draco's head.

"Yes! And self-centered! You don't even think about how much I was missing you! I was always thinking of you! You're always on my mind! I would wake up and wonder what you were doing, I'd go to school and wonder where you were, I'd go home, wish you were there. Every day you were all I'd think about!" Harry yelled, tearing up. "All I ever think about!"

"That's not my fault!" Draco yelled back.

"Yes it is!" Harry yelled.

"How?"

"Because I love you! I love you even though you're stupid and selfish! I love you even though it hurts sometimes! And I came here tonight thinking it would be all peaches and cream and I could ask you the one question I came here to ask!" Harry yelled. He shoved his hand deep into his pocket and yanked out a small black box. He dropped to one knee and opened the box to reveal a silver ring with one large diamond in the center and two emeralds on either side of it, all three embedded into the silver band.

"But… why?" Draco asked, suddenly unable to manage more than a whisper.

"Because I love you." Harry said. "I love your arrogance. I love your attitude. I love you even after I just threw a boot and a glass bottle at you. I love you even when you least deserve it because I know that's when you need it most. I love you even now, because nothing could ever make me not love you."

Draco smiled a half-smile. "What if I was a girl?"

Harry chuckled. "I'd make due. I will love you every second of every day if you'll only let me. I can be there for you forever, just let me."

Draco sobbed because he knew what he had to tell Harry. He knew what he had to do.


	11. Support me

**A/N: Here I am with another chapter for you all, my lovelies. More Draco/Harry/Edward/…people drama-rama in this chapter. Then again, if there was no drama, this would prove to be a boring story…all stories would prove to be boring without drama because without drama…there are no happy endings. Kind of like the way that without darkness there can be no light… **

**_Draco:_ Anyhow! Enough of the author's ramblings…she's had a bit too much coffee this morning. Now we know she is not to exceed three cups…**

**_Me:_ Four cups of coffee is perfectly normal! NORMAL I tell you!**

**_Harry: *duct tapes Musical's mouth* _There. Problem solved. Now go about your readings, erm, readers. :D**

**_Draco:_ Oh! And while we're at it – Musical does not own anything other than the storyline! R&R!**

Stand Strong Chapter 11 ~ Support me.

The ring glimmered on Draco's finger as he and Harry walked down the stairs hand in hand, their fight forgotten.

Alice shrieked with joy as she launched herself at Draco and Harry. "Smart boy!"

Esme and Carlisle stood by the couch, smiling. Jasper and Emmett leaned on the wall, chuckling at Alice. Rosalie and Edward stood far away, guarded expressions on their faces.

"I…guess you heard all that." Draco said, smiling.

"Yes! Let's start planning!" Alice said.

Draco laughed. "No. There will be no planning. There are other things that need to be settled beforehand."

"Like what?" Everyone turned to Rosalie.

"I can't marry him while he's…like this." Draco said. Harry nodded.

"No! He cannot be changed!" Edward exploded.

Harry instinctually stepped in front of Draco as Draco tried to move to shield Harry. Draco, having quicker reflexes, stepped in front of Harry.

"Harry is my mate and I will do what I see fit." Draco said, deathly quiet.

"No. You won't! Not as long as I have to see it! You can't damn his soul like that!" Edward bellowed.

"Don't tell me what to do! Next thing I know, you'll be telling me not to get married!" Draco said, still calm.

"You shouldn't! Because if you do, you'll change him and if you change him you'll damn him!" Edward raged.

"You're a damn hypocrite! You're going to marry Bella, we all know it so how are you going to try and tell me I shouldn't do the same with Harry?" Draco yelled, throwing up his hands.

This silenced Edward. They all knew Draco was right.

"He has a point, Edward. I _want _him to change me. I love your brother." Harry said quietly.

"If he changes you, and your existence ends, there's no heaven for you. I'm not even sure there's a hell. If you're changed, you won't have a soul." Edward said slowly, as if he was explaining it to a child.

"Draco is my heart and my soul." Harry said quietly.

"And what does Severus' opinion about all this?" Carlisle broke in.

"He approves whole heartedly of our relationship." Harry said.

Edward shook his head. "What is the matter with you humans these days? So willing to throw away your mortality. Your life."

"But Edward, don't you get it? Without your brother, life holds no meaning for me. I've loved him even when he was my enemy. I loved him even when he _hated_ me." Harry said. "I can't live without him."

Everyone was quiet for a moment until Alice spoke.

"I welcome Harry as a new brother. As part of the family." Alice said, formally initiating a vote.

"As do I." Jasper said.

"I'm sorry Harry, but I can't support you throwing your life away." Rosalie said.

"I cannot support you either." Emmett said.

"I obviously do not." Edward said.

"I obviously do." Draco said.

"That isn't fair, Draco. You can't vote." Carlisle said.

"Alright. What's you're vote, Carlisle?" Draco asked.

Carlisle thought for a few minutes and then sighed. "I can't support you here. Venom should only be used when crucial."

Draco's heart sunk. He looked to Esme pleadingly. "Esme?"

Esme sighed. "Harry, can you promise me you'll do everything you can to make my son happy?"

Harry nodded eagerly. "Of course."

"Then I support you." Esme said.

A growl tore from Edward's chest and he stormed off to his room.

Draco sobbed once, hurt. Harry tried to hold him, but Draco ducked under Harry's arms and ran out the back door, out into the forest. He ran a circuitous route around the house, fuming. He ran until his frustration had dulled.

Draco stopped running and stood by a tree, resting his weight against it. He took a deep breath and slipped quietly into the house. Everyone besides he and Edward were gathered in the kitchen, making Harry food. They had the radio turned up so loud Draco doubted they could hear him unless he shouted.

Draco stole up the staircase and knocked softly on Edward's door.

"Go away." Edward said. His voice was cold and harsh.

"It's me." Draco said quietly, gently.

Edward was silent. Draco pushed the door open to reveal a dark, wrecked room. Glass and broken pieces of things littered the floor. Edward sat at his desk with his head in his hands.

Draco crossed the room, stopping beside Edward a few feet away. He looked to his big brother imploringly. "Please don't be upset. I _need_ your support on this, Edward."

Edward sighed heavily then opened his arms. Draco want towards Edward and let Edward pull his so he was sitting on his lap. He hugged Edward tightly as Edward patted him on the back gently and rocked him.

"I just don't want you to get serious, change him, and then get hurt." Edward said gently.

"He won't hurt me. And if he plans to, Alice will see it. But I know he wouldn't." Draco said.

Edward was quiet for a long time then. He sat and rocked Draco. The only sound was the slight squeaking of the chair and the thumping bass from the stereo in the kitchen. Draco jumped when Edward finally spoke.

"Do you love him, Draco? Truly? He isn't here right now; you can tell me the truth."

"Yes. I would die for him, gladly. The intensity of this love scares me. I want to protect him, to make sure he's safe. I would take a bullet for him without thinking, even if bullets could hurt me. It would be instinct." Draco said quietly.

"I'll support it…on one condition." Edward said.

"Anything." Draco said eagerly.

"I'll support it if he can thoroughly convince me he's better for you." Edward said.

"Better than..?" Draco trailed off.

"Jacob." Edward said.


	12. A Father?

**A/N: Okay, so, I realized that I could not proceed with chapter twelve without this little insert between chapters, so here it is. Enjoy.**

Stand Strong Chapter 11 ½: A Father...?

"But Edward, you hate Jacob." Draco said incredulously.

"I don't hate the dog. Pity him, sure. But I don't hate him." Edward said slowly.

"But… after what happened… you had been totally against him." Draco pieced together.

"He was being influenced by a drug. That much I believe. The pup is nothing if not gullible. And yes, I despised him for months. But Draco, in this existence that we're in, holding grudges is like poison. It will undo you." Edward said. He sighed. "Jacob has been through a lot. He loved Bella, and I snatched her away. He thought he'd never love again. Then you arrived and he thinks he's imprinted on you. He isn't going to give up what he thinks is his only chance at love."

"But Edward, when I asked Carlisle to explain the imprint, he said the wolf feels its imprint's pain and it can't hurt its imprint. How can I be his imprint if he can stand to hurt me?" Draco asked.

"I think it has something to do with that drug, but I can't be sure. I don't know much about imprinting." Edward said.

"Neither does Carlisle, it seems. He told me all he knew, which was little more than I knew before." Draco said.

Edward was quiet for a moment. Draco could tell he was thinking so he stood quiet, listening to the squeaking of the chair as Edward rocked him.

Draco allowed himself to relax. He wondered if this was what it was like to be rocked by a dad. To feel safe and secure and… loved. Lucius had never been much of a father, let alone a dad. It was partly because he didn't know how to be, because he didn't have the emotional capacity, and partly because he devoted himself to being the best Death Eater he could be. Narcissa had told Draco once that, as far as she knew, it wasn't possible to be a great Death Eater and a dad at the same time. It was trying to be both a kind, loving person and being a murderer – it was just not possible. One side had to take over eventually. The two sides could not co-exist. One must make a choice, and Lucius had made his long ago.

Edward's voice startled Draco out of his thoughts.

"If you want to know more, go to Billy Black .Go in the morning, Jacob will likely be out, taking care of pack business still and you will likely not run into him." Edward said.

Draco nodded, but said nothing. He knew it was close to a miracle that Edward was allowing him to go to la push quietly and without a fight.

So Draco closed his eyes and just for a little while, he promised himself, pretended Edward was his dad.


	13. A Fair and Equal Shot

**A/N: Hello all. I am alive and so are these stories, I hope I didn't lead anyone to believe I had abandoned them. If all goes well, I shall have another chapter up soon. R&R ~ Musical.**

Stand Strong Chapter 12 ~ A Fair Shot

Draco pulled up to the Black's ranch, tires crunching gravel quietly as he rolled to a stop. He twisted the key out of the ignition, silencing the purring engine.

"Damed car." Draco muttered, throwing the keys on the seat and slamming the door.

Draco's first time driving the car had been rough at first, to say the least.

Billy Black rolled out of his front door out onto the deck.

"Hello, how can I help you?" he asked stiffly.

"Hello sir. I'm Draco Malfoy Cullen. Jacob's... Ex I suppose." Draco said. He lowered his hood and shuffled his feet nervously. Then, remembering himself, stood tall.

"Oh!" Billy's face softened immediately. "Come in, son. Jake's sleeping, but he said to wake him if you came."

Draco climbed the steps, crossed the porch swiftly and followed Billy into the house. "Thats quite alright. I came to talk to you, actually."

Billy stopped and turned to face Draco. He studied the boys face, trying to decode what he wanted. He nodded once. "Alright then. Let's go talk in the kitchen. It's the farthest room from Jake's." he rolled past Draco, back toward the front of the house.

Draco followed him into a small kitchen with a round table in the center.

"Have a seat. Can I get you anything? Oh silly me, I am sorry. I forgot you're a vampire."

Draco chuckled. "Yes sir, that I am."

"Im well aware of that. I wanted to see if you would be honest with me. I was one of the people who tended to you until the doctor got here and could fix you with his... Special cure." billy said.

"You were? Thank you. I'm very grateful." Draco said humbly.

"It was no problem. Someone had to be calm and rational. Jake was hysterical, he thought you were going to die. He begged them to change you immediately. None of them would do it but he begged and begged." Billy said, watching Draco's reaction closely.

Draco nodded, trying to mask his surprise. "Jacob is a good guy. And I love him with all my heart. I do. But -"

"There's someone else too." Billy said wisely.

Draco nodded, at a loss for words.

Billy leaned forward and rested is arms on the table. "My boy has been through a lot during the last two years. He found his first love, found out he was a shifter, lost aforementioned first love even though he never really had her, he still fought for her, and he still lost her. Then you come along and he imprints n you. And you don't seem to even care you-"

"If I could stop you there, sir. It's not that I don't care, it is not that at all. But I don't even fully know what an imprint is. It's never been fully explained to me."

Billy gaped. "Jake never explained it to you?"

"Not fully, no. He's just given me small details. That's what I came here for: to talk to you. To get some information."

Billy nodded. "Well what do you want to know?"

"What is an imprint?"

"Well, if we're talking about the noun form, it's a wolf's destined mate. A soul mate. Of we're talking about the verb form then it means to meet you destiny. To form a bond with the one you're meant to spend your life with. To bond is air-tight. Unbreakable. The wolf will do whatever he has to do to make their imprint happy. He will protect his imprint," a flash of Jacob, possessive, protective stance at the club crossed Draco's mind. "kill for them," Jacob telling Draco he'd killed Sam Uley. "strive to win them over if they're resistant," a flash of Jacob standing in the living room at the house he shared with the Cullens, "they won't take no for an answer," all the balloons and flowers in Draco's room, "they love their imprint."

Draco nodded. "Can they ever physically harm their imprint?"

"Of course they can. Take Emily for instance. Sam ripped into her flesh with his own claws. Jacob harmed you." when Billy saw Draco's expression he grimaced, "Thought I didn't know, eh? How couldn't I? Once the drug was out of his system, Jake was writhing in pain for days, feeling what he had inflicted on you threefold. You know what that drug was meant to do, don't you?" Billy growled.

Draco shrugged. "Make them stronger?"

"It enhanced their strength, sure. Made them faster, definitely. Gave them short tempers though. Sam didn't mention that side effect. That's what all those were - side effects. The main purpose of the drug was to try to dull down the imprint and the feelings that went along with it. For every other shifter it worked. But Jacob wouldn't let it win, he loves you too much. He fought and started to win. That upset Sam. He tried to eliminate you many times but the timing was always off somehow, luckily. Sam's most recent try was the most desperate, the most bold. Jake finally saw that Sam was trying to kill you, so he got Sam before Sam got you. The thing I would like to ask Sam, though, is how he reasoned killing you wouldn't hurt Jake. Maybe he planned on upping Jacob's dosage even higher than it already was."

"But... I don't understand..." Draco trailed off.

"Which part, Draco?" Billy asked kindly.

"How could Jacob imprint on me? I can't produce a child, the line would die out."

"The imprint does not serve to carry on the line. It serves to make the shifter and his soul-mate happy." Billy said.

Draco nodded slowly. "I'm so confused, Billy. I don't trust Jacob at all, but he keeps insisting he's imprinted on me. I feel drawn to him, of course. It's like... there's this thread that's between us, connecting it, and the farther I am from Jake, the more it pulls and the uneasier I become. And then there's Harry... I'm sorry, you probably don't want to hear any of this." Draco said, shaking his head.

"On the contrary, I do want to hear what's going on in your head. I want to know if I'll have to help my son through losing the last hope he has of being with you, if that's what I'll have to do." Billy said seriously.

"I just don't know if I can trust Jacob. I barely know him." Draco said.

"Then get to know him before you write him off. Give him a chance. Edward called him, you know. He told him about that boy's proposal and he told Jake that he's got one last chance to win you over. He was so excited. Jake's a good boy, Draco. He may have done some bad things but he definitely regrets them. I'm not just saying all this because he's my boy. I wouldn't give you false information. I want you to be happy, as well as Jacob. I truly believe in my heart that you two can make each other extremely happy. If you just let go of your grudges and give both Jake and..." he fumbled for the name that escaped him.

"Harry." Draco supplied.

"Yes. Harry. If you give both Jake and Harry fair and equal shots, you'll find the one who can make you happy. I guarantee it." Billy said.

"I don't know Billy... Jake hurt me real bad..." Draco trailed off.

"Jacob is not boastful. He is neither selfish nor greedy. He's got an honest heart. He's loving and true. Once you just give him a shot and let him in." Billy said, pleading his son's case.

Draco thought for a moment, then nodded. "I'll give him a fair and equal shot, Billy. I promise."


	14. Picnic

**AN: Sorry, I've been gone FOREVER. But hopefully now I'll be able to keep up and manage one post a week. Enjoy.**

Stand Strong Chapter 13 ~ Picnic

Draco yawned, bored. He sat on the floor of the high school gym during his physical education period.

"You all right, Snape?" The coach yelled across the gym.

Draco shook his head. "I can't play, coach. My ankle's killing me." He said, grimacing in mock pain.

The coach turned away, grumbling to himself.

Draco watched as his 'peers' dribbled the stupid little orange ball up and down the court and tried to shoot it into the baskets.

He'd been back in school four days and already he was desperate for the year to be over. Draco was enrolled as Draco Snape, that hadn't changed, but he wasn't living with Severus and Harry. Billy, Severus, Carlisle, and Edward had all agreed it wouldn't be fair for Draco to live with Harry – it would be a disadvantage to Jacob. So he lived with the Cullens.

The four men had devised a system for Jacob and Harry's courting of Draco: Harry and Jacob each had seven dates with Draco. The time, place, and the plans were up to them. The only rules were: no intercourse, the dates had to alternate between Harry and Jacob, and the dates had to be pre-approved by Esme.

The Cullen siblings were at Harry and Jacob's disposal if they needed help with set-up.

Right after each date, the sibling who had most recently helped with set up would get a rating from Draco on a scale of 1-15. After they got the rating, they were to go to Carlisle then to Billy or Severus, depending on who the date had been with.

The bell rang three peeling times, dismissing them to lunch.

"Thank Merlin." Draco muttered, getting up and limping out the door. Once outside, he resumed his cool unconcerned stride as he grabbed his bag from his locker and strolled straight off campus into the woods as Harry had asked him to.

A large round white candle caught Draco's eye. As he approached it, he saw a note sitting next to it.

_Draco,_

_If this note is still unburned, I successfully placed it so it won't burn the woods down._

_Here's what I'd like you to do:_

_Follow these white candles into the woods, blowing them out as you happen upon them. There should be thirteen in all, this being number one._

_I'll be waiting with number 13._

_And more._

_-Harry_

Draco dropped his bag, covered it with leaves, and took off through the woods. He made sure he ran right by each candle the wind he stirred up by running blew them out.

The path Harry had chosen was long and not very clear, and as Draco ran he saw dozens of others that would have been easier for Harry to mark. As Draco ran deeper into the woods, the candles started having brightly colored balloons attached to them to enhance noticeability.

Draco slowed as he ran past candle twelve, knowing he was close. He used his nose to pick up Harry's scent and he followed it to a dark clearing. Overhead a layer of the woods allowed only a small amount of sunlight to enter the clearing.

Draco saw what Harry had meant by 'more'. Candles were all over the perimeter of the clearing, hanging from trees, sitting in trees, sitting on the ground by the trunks of trees. There was a thin gingham sheet in the center of the clearing and Harry sat there with what looked like lollipops and picnic baskets on both sides.

A smile graced Harry's features as he saw Draco.

"You made it." Harry said, standing.

Draco nodded, "Although, I spotted other paths here that would have been easier for you."

Harry laughed, "I took an easy path to get here. Jasper helped with the trail of candles. All I had to do was place the first one and he placed the other ones in a long and slightly complicated pattern so I would have the maximum amount of time to get things ready."

Draco nodded thoughtfully, "This must have taken forever to set up, huh?" he asked, gesturing around the clearing.

Harry nodded. "And I was worried your lollies weren't going to set in time."

"Lollies?" Draco asked, tilting his head. "I can't eat human food Harry; it doesn't… sit well with me."

Harry laughed. "Come, sit. Try one, I guarantee you'll like them."

Draco shook his head but sat anyway. Harry handed him a dark crimson lollipop in the shape of a heart.

Draco smiled and removed the hand-made looking wrapper and the smell floated to him. He popped it into his mouth, tasting it to be sure it was what he thought it was. He looked to Harry and Harry smiled.

"I call them BloodPops." Harry said, blushing slightly. "Carlisle supplied me with the O- and I trouble shot until I got the right consistency."

"This… this is human blood? Harry… this will send me into frenzy. Why am I not already in frenzy?" Draco asked, looking from the lollie to Harry.

"They didn't tell you? You're immune to the effects. When you locked yourself in your room, which was very childish of you by the way, your family was so desperate to make you come out of your room since you weren't drinking the blood that Esme was trying to give you. You only drank some of it so they had to use human blood instead of animal blood. You drank it more willingly, yet you didn't come out. Esme was satisfied as long as you were drinking it. It didn't occur to them for a while that it didn't send you into the frenzy most vampires would have been launched into." Harry explained.

Draco nodded. "So… not only am I not affected by human blood, but you made me little candies as well?" Draco asked, smiling.

Harry smiled and nodded. "I thought they would come in handy when you're at school and get hungry." Harry reached into a basket and pulled out a gift wrapped in deep red paper. "And I bought this for you."

Draco shook his head but accepted the small box. He tore the paper off to reveal a plain brown box. Draco pulled the lid off and pulled out the Android phone that rested in the box. He tilted his head and looked at Harry, confused.

"It's your phone. I found it and had it repaired. Everything is still on there, I think - the downloaded media and such." Harry said, giving Draco a suggestive look.

Draco blushed and looked down. "I'll uh… I'll delete the pictures later."

Harry chuckled, "I saved you the trouble. And I… replaced them." He said, winking at Draco.

Draco blushed furiously and Harry chuckled.

"Tell. Me. Everything!" Alice squealed as soon as Draco stepped through the front door.

Jasper chuckled. Draco looked at him to rein Alice in but he shrugged and remained where he was.

"I would, but frankly I'm quite interested myself." Jasper said.

Draco laughed once and set his bouquet of BloodPops on a small table in the entrance hall and tossed his jacket on the couch.

"And how did those turn out, by the way?" Jasper asked, nodding to the lollies.

"They were delicious." Draco said, taking his spot on the couch.

"And what about the date? Tell me!" Alice said, jumping up and down in front of Draco.

"Very well. I'll tell you. But _please_ sit." Draco said. He paused as Alice sat. "He arranged a trail of candles leading to a meadow. The meadow was mostly dark with light filtering through the leaves overhead. He had maybe a hundred candles set up and burning around the circle and in the middle he had a sheet and two picnic baskets. The lollies were in one and my old Droid phone was in the other."

"Oh yeah. I helped him restock it too." Jasper said casually.

Draco stared at Jasper dumbstruck. "You took pictures of my Harry?"

Jasper nodded. "It was no big deal. He couldn't get the right angle himself so he asked for help."

Draco's jaw dropped. "And you knew about this, Alice?"

Alice nodded. "I thought it was nothing. I find it difficult to get good angles also."

Draco gasped, scandalized.

Jasper and Alice stared at him, confused.

"Have you seen the pictures yet?" Jasper asked.

Draco shook his head. "I was… waiting until I got to my room."

Alice burst out laughing, "He thinks they're naughty pictures!"

Jasper laughed, "Look at them, Draco."

Draco went to the photos on his phone and chuckled in embarrassment. It was merely pictures of Harry, fully clothed, posing against trees, by streams, on top of logs.

"I see." Draco said, nodding.

Jasper laughed. "So anyway. Rating?"

"Eleven." Draco said.

Jasper nodded then went to Carlisle to record it while Alice drilled Draco for more details.

**AN: R&R?**


	15. Your Mom

Stand Strong Chapter 14 ~ Your Mom

Draco sat in a tree in the middle of the woods, listening to the small animals scurry around as they prepared for winter. They wouldn't go near him, of course, but it was calming to him to sit and hear them going about their simple lives – gather food, take it to the nest, hibernate, and repeat. It must be so easy. Such a pleasant existence.

Draco wondered if squirrels had to deal with the complications of human life. Did they have to search and try mate after mate? Did they have to worry about one mate not being fit for them? Or were their brains too simple to allow the thought to cross their minds? Was it so easy for them to find a mate that they never felt heartache? Were they ever torn between two mates? Did squirrels have to suffer the heartache of choosing? Did they have to suffer through the fear that they chose wrong? Did squirrels feel loss? When one of them died, were they mourned?

Draco's thoughts were interrupted by footsteps approaching the tree where he was perching. He tried to stifle a sigh. "What?" he snapped.

"Cut the attitude before I cut your tree down." Rosalie said pleasantly.

"There are plenty more." Draco said coolly.

"But not like this one. You like this one." Rosalie replied.

"What do you want, Rose?" Draco sighed.

"The pup just called. He's on his way."

Draco scowled, "Where am I going with Boy B."

"Draco, that's enough. Do you even care about these guys' feelings?"

"Of course I do. I'm taking part in this ridiculous imitation of dating, aren't I?" Draco said. Suddenly, his bratty façade dropped. "They're behaving as if I'm an item, Rose. A thing to be won and afterwards strutted around with. They're _sweet_ and all right now, but what about after? What if they only want me because the other one wants me? What if I choose wrong? What if I'm trading one heartbreak for another? What then? What will happen to me after?"

Rosalie pulled herself into a tree using a low-hanging branch. She perched in the tree an arms-length away from Draco. "Draco, you're not forced into being with either of them. You can choose neither. And if you pick one and it doesn't work out, then you aren't condemned to being with him. Walk away. You'll find happiness somehow. This isn't a lifetime commitment."

"But with Harry it would be. Marriage between witches and wizards is forever binding… and I've seen what a bad marriage can turn into. I've seen it, Rose. I've heard it. I've felt it." Draco said faintly.

Rosalie looked into his haunted eyes and wondered what things he'd seen. Her curiosity pushed her to ask.

Draco laughed without humor. "I've seen things that would make you sick."

"Let's talk about it, Draco. Talk to me." Rosalie implored.

"Have you heard about the letter I received in the post today?" Draco asked, whispering.

"Why don't you tell us about it, Draco?"

Edward's voice made them both jump as he launched himself into the tree. He stood on the same branch as Rosalie was sitting.

"Narcissa is dead. My mother died this morning."

Rosalie sighed, "I'm sorry Draco."

"It wasn't a surprise to me. Lucius must have found out she was behind me leaving. He killed her. It was bound to happen."

"Her murder was bound to happen? Why would you say that?" Edward asked.

"Lucius has always been a mean old bastard." Draco said simply.

"Talk to us please." Rosalie said.

Draco hesitated, and then began talking slowly. "Growing up was hard for me… when I was four, I would see Lucius beat Narcissa until she bled enough and he was satisfied with how much she screamed. From the time when I was really young, I stood by her side. Today I've been up in this tree wishing I'd been there. It's my fault she's gone. It's my fault he got to her! I wasn't there to stand between them!" Draco started to sob. "I wasn't there." He whispered.

"Draco, no. It wasn't your fault. It was _his_." Rosalie reached up and tried to touch Draco's cheek but he darted to a higher branch.

"Don't touch me!" Draco hissed, "Stay away!"

"Okay, relax Draco. I'm sorry." Rosalie said quickly, shocked by the look in Draco's eyes.

"I told her to leave… I told her." Draco sobbed. He looked up in the sky. "Why didn't you leave when I told you?" he whispered. He sat there and breathed deeply for a few minutes and then said, "She always told me it would get better, that he'd stop. He never did. She wouldn't let me tell anyone, she begged me not to. She was scared to death of him and she never told anybody what she suffered through. I told her to leave… she always just patted my cheek with this heartbreaking smile and she would tell me 'Sometimes you have to stop wanting what you _could_ have and you have to settle for what _is_.' Even as a child, I always saw the wrongness of that belief. But she never left…"

Rosalie and Edward looked at each other, neither sure what to say.

"He would beat her until she couldn't walk, but she always told me that it was what was. She told me she stayed so I could have a complete family." Draco scoffed, "I've never had family. It was always me, her, and him. There was never an 'us'. There was never a Malfoy family."

"But you're not a Malfoy anymore. You're a part of the Cullen family." Edward said quietly.

Draco stared at Edward, speechless.

"Draco! Jacob's here!" Esme yelled from the back porch.

"I'll go tell Jacob he can come back another day." Rosalie said.

"No. Tell him I'll be right there."

Rosalie looked to Edward and Edward nodded slightly, so slightly that Draco didn't notice. Rosalie started to walk away but Draco's voice stopped her.

"Rose? Would you be my mother?" he asked quietly.

In that one sentence, Rosalie heard so many emotions. She heard loneliness, abandonment, agony, and hope. He sounded so much like a small child that Rosalie had to struggle to restrain herself so that she wouldn't run to him and comfort him.

"No. I will not be your mother." Rosalie said quietly. "I'll be your mom."


End file.
